Automan: High Performance
by SailorChronos1
Summary: A former boyfriend of Officer Baines attempts to sabotage her career.  But when Automan gets involved, his identity and his friends are put at risk.  Sequel to Automan: Overclocked.
1. Chapter 1

Automan and all related character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 1

14 March 2003

A lone man dressed in jeans and a dark hooded jacket ducked into the shadowed alley between two shops. Somewhere in the distance a cat yowled and the sounds of a brief scuffle faded into the night. Standing against a brick wall, the man flicked on a cigarette lighter and held it up for a few seconds before extinguishing it.

In response to the signal, three other men emerged from the shadows and joined him. "You got the goods?" one asked, his face obscured by the hood of his red sweatshirt.

"Not until I hear the code and see the money," the dealer responded.

"We haven't got time for this!" protested one of the others.

The red-hooded man clouted him on the arm. "Shut up." He dug a wad of bills out of a pocket. "Here's your money. The code is 'Redwolf'. Now give me the stuff."

The dealer retrieved a small paper-wrapped package from his jacket and was about to hand it over when suddenly there was a screeching of tires and a pair of car headlights flooded the alley. A police cruiser barrelled to a stop and a female officer with shoulder-length chestnut hair pointed a gun out the window. "Freeze! You're under arrest!"

Separating into two pairs, the men fled. The officer got out of the car and pointed to the left, down a small lane. "Cut them off on the next street!" Her partner reversed out of the alley as she sprinted after the other two.

She chased them for a couple of blocks, her hair blowing in the wind, but when she rounded a corner, she saw them getting into a waiting car and speeding off. Right away she aimed her pistol and fired at one of its rear tires, but missed by a few inches. Quickly noting its make and license number, she activated her radio. "Officer Baines, Unit 9409, requesting backup; suspects in a green Honda last seen headed north on Avalon Boulevard." Next she pulled her cellphone out of a pocket and sent an SMS to her home computer.

CALLING AUTOMAN, AUTHORIZATION: CRIMEFIGHTER

Within seconds, the street lights flickered and the ground trembled slightly under her feet. A brilliantly glowing stellated polyhedron emerged from her phone and twittered. "Hi, Cursor!" she welcomed.

Cursor streaked a few feet away and spiralled down toward the ground; in that spot materialized a tall man with the proportions of a star athlete. His handsome face and short right-parted light brown hair looked human, but from the neck down he was clad in what appeared to be blue plated armour that shone with myriad twinkling stars.

"Hello, Lina," the construct greeted her with a resonant baritone voice. "What's the emergency?"

"Hello, Automan. We just broke up a drug deal. Two suspects are in a green Honda headed north; I'd appreciate a lift."

He smiled at her warmly. "Certainly. Cursor, the Autocar," he commanded. Cursor flew into the street and drew the lines of a sleek black Lamborghini with glowing blue piping, rendering the details repeatedly until the car solidified. Once he and Lina got in, the car accelerated to 50 miles per hour in no time flat.

"I'm not sure where they are by now," Lina confessed as they drove. "Let me check." She called into her radio, "Unit 9409, requesting pursuit status."

A gravelly male voice came over the channel. "This is Unit 6802 in pursuit of a green Honda; current location: Avalon at East 41st."

"We're as good as there," Automan pronounced.

True to his word, it took them hardly any time at all to pass the intersection. Ahead of them were two police cruisers with their lights flashing. "Let's go around and cut them off," she suggested.

At the next corner, without slowing or skidding, the Autocar made a 90 degree turn and continued on. Twice more it performed the maneuver, and stopped in the middle of the next cross street in front of the getaway car. The Honda's tires screeched as the car swerved around the apparition, and the driver mouthed curses as he wrestled the car straight again and zoomed off toward the east.

Instead of following, Automan turned back onto the boulevard.

"What are you doing?" Lina asked.

"Plotting their escape route," he responded, smiling knowingly.

"But how can you know which way they're going?"

"You forget that I can sense the microchip in their car." He turned a corner and stopped in another intersection.

The green car appeared, roaring up the street. There was a brief scuffle between the two occupants, and then the driver wrenched the steering wheel to the left. The car skidded as it barely made the turn, bouncing off the curb.

"Auto, let's not get them hurt!" Lina protested.

"Have a little faith, my dear," he said as once again the Autocar pursued. He glanced at her, his eyes twinkling.

She grinned. "You I have faith in. It's their driving that I don't trust." Quickly she checked street names on her phone's GPS function. "We should stop this soon. This street comes to a major intersection up ahead, and there could be an accident if those guys try to run through it."

Auto nodded. "No problem." He overtook their quarry and slid in front of them, blocking their attempts to pass and forcing them to slow down. Meanwhile the two police cruisers that had been left behind earlier were catching up. There was no place to go.

In a desperate move, the driver of the green car braked and attempted to make a U-turn, but his excessive speed caused the car to sideslip and collide with a light standard. Designed to break upon such an impact, the metal pole sheared off and fell into the street, shattering the light with a bang and a halo of sparks. Defeated, the driver stopped the car and pounded the steering wheel in frustration.

The Autocar stopped and Lina got out as the Honda was boxed in by the two police cruisers. "Thanks, Auto. I can take it from here."

"Glad to help, Lina. See you later." He waved to her, and she backed up a few steps as he drove away.

She turned and hurried to where the two occupants of the Honda were being arrested. "Did anybody here order two hot druggies to go?" she joked, but her humour faded when she got a good look at the passenger. He was wearing dark jeans and a grey sweater, with short scruffy black hair and an angular face that she recognized instantly.

He stared back at her with absolute hatred in his eyes.

* * *

><p>"His name is Neil Christensen," she said tightly as her superior officer Lt. Baker examined the picture in the file folder she handed to him. "A few years ago we dated for a while, but it didn't work out. He used to be a good guy; I don't know why he's hanging with drug dealers now."<p>

"Time and circumstance can change a person, Baines," Baker said. "Unfortunately we can't hold him because nothing was found on him and there were no outside witnesses to the deal. The best we can do is charge the driver with dangerous driving and property damage."

She grimaced angrily but didn't waste any energy arguing; the law was clear. "What about the guy that Coombs brought in?"

"That's a different story." He turned a page. "Kurt Wickstrom is wanted in two jurisdictions for smuggling stolen goods and various drug-related offences. He's not going anywhere, especially since a pack of high grade pharmaceuticals was found near the scene with his prints on it. His accomplice that escaped was Cody McClard, a freelance computer game developer turned corporate hacker."

"What does computer hacking have to do with drug dealing?" Lina asked. "That makes no sense."

"Beats me," said Baker with a tired sigh, running one hand through his curly grey hair. "Are you sure you're up to handling this one? Because it looks like you've got some personal involvement here."

Lina snorted. "There's nothing to worry about. I saw the look on Neil's face when he was arrested. He knows that I'll take no guff from him."

"Fair enough. Now what about this fancy car Hamilton told me that he saw you getting out of?" He leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "Is Agent Mann involved by any chance?"

Flushing slightly, she replied, "Yes, sir." Of course she couldn't mention that she had summoned him, so gave a plausible explanation. "He was monitoring the police radio channels and heard my call for backup, so he decided to assist. He didn't tell me why he was in the area, though."

"Well, next time you see him, ask him if he would kindly check in first. Federal agent or not, he still should go through channels."


	2. Chapter 2

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 2

A well-dressed, athletic man in his mid-thirties sat at a polished cherry-wood coffee table in a tastefully decorated room which exuded opulence. He sipped delicately from a glass of water before speaking into a telephone. "You have been an exemplary contact, Mr. McClard," he said. "Discreet, punctual, and trustworthy. However, last night's debacle was unacceptable."

The voice on the other end of the line was contrite. "Yes, Mr. Kearns, I know our primary dealer was arrested again. Give us a few days and we'll-"

"No, this time I'm not bailing him out," Kearns interrupted. "You people are getting too careless, and we cannot continue in this fashion." He was severe as he straightened in his chair. "Are you or are you not capable of carrying out the plan?"

"We can do it. There have been a few obstacles," McClard admitted, "but it's only temporary."

"How can you expect me to believe that you will make some real progress, after most of the money that I've put into this venture has been lost? You must do what needs to be done." He punctuated his words by tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair. "And move your facility. If the police find you, it's over."

McClard assured him, "I've already implemented a new strategy. We'll get what you need."

"Make certain that you do. Otherwise, the whole cost of the operation will be coming out of your hide."

* * *

><p>Raucous music was blaring inside the Player's Club bar as a young man quickly approached the establishment. His shoulders were hunched and he had his hands in his pockets despite the warm spring evening. After determining that the sidewalk was vacant for at least two blocks in either direction, he darted around to the side of the building and slipped in through a heavy wooden door.<p>

He ascended a dimly lit stairwell and knocked in a specific pattern on the door at the top.

The door opened a crack and a slim man with a round face and dirty blond hair peered out. "Neil! What are you doing here? You know you're not supposed to contact me; do you want end up back in jail?"

"Forget that, Cody," Neil said derisively. "I need some info."

"Well, I'm the information expert," said Cody, grudgingly letting Neil in. The apartment was sparse, furnished only with a beaten-up couch and chair, and a desk upon which a computer rested. The booming of the music downstairs could be felt through the floor. "You're lucky that I'm even here. This afternoon Kearns told me to move the safe house."

"Then let's get busy." He shoved a four-wheeled desk chair at Cody, who sat down at the computer. "One of the cops who busted me just happened to be my ex, but she was riding in some souped-up sports car instead of a cop cruiser. I want to get the dirt on it."

"Ha!" Cody guffawed. "I need the make and model, and what streets you were on so I can tap into traffic camera footage."

"Fat chance; I couldn't tell that much in the dark! All I could see was that it was black with blue vanity stripes, low to the ground, with doors that opened upward. Scissor doors, I think they're called."

"Then you'd better sit down, this might take a while. But I doubt there can be many cars like that out there."

A short time later Neil saw Cody beckoning to him, and he walked over to stand beside the desk. "What's up?"

"Here, I got something you'll like. It was tough to find, but I think it'll be worth it. Is this the car that cop was riding in?" He turned the screen so that his friend could see it.

"That's it! Exactly!" Neil exclaimed when he saw a blurry picture of a futuristic black car with glowing blue piping. "I'll tell you, whatever it is, it can move damn fast!"

"You won't be happy when I tell you who it belongs to," Cody warned him, consulting another window. "Black Lamborghini Countach LP400, registered to Otto James Mann. I did a cross-check on the name: he's a special agent for the Federal Computer Crimes Unit."

"A Fed?" Neil was thunderstruck. "What's he doing with the police?"

Switching windows again, Cody replied, "Apparently he's an attaché for the LAPD computer department; listen to this record!" As Neil leaned closer, he summarized a few notations. "June 1983: assisted with revealing a conspiracy to frame a state judge. August 1983: brought down the second-in-command of the state's largest organized crime syndicate. September 1983: discovered the whereabouts of a wanted corporate embezzler and serial murderer." He whistled. "This guy has a law-enforcement portfolio going back twenty years! You definitely don't want to mess with him."

"There's got to be something that we can dig up," Neil insisted, frustration evident in his voice. "I've wanted to shake up my ex for a long time, and this is a great opportunity to get her off our tail. If she is working with him, how better to distract her than to smear her partner?"

Cody swivelled in the chair to look helplessly at his friend. "Sorry, man. From the looks of it, this Agent Mann is a criminal's worst enemy. He's got a stellar record with citations of commendation and distinguished service. He doesn't even have any demerits on his driver's license."

"Nobody can be that perfect!" Neil growled. "Well, if we can't find anything in his record to use against him, maybe we can..." he grinned maliciously as he waved his hand in a mockery of a magician's gesture, "...create something. Like they say, nothing posted online ever goes away. Can you find any photos of him?" A few quick strokes on the keyboard brought up an image gallery. They paged through it until Neil spotted one that had originated on a personal web site. The handsome Agent Mann was pictured standing between two women; one a long-haired brunette in a bikini, and the other a redhead wearing a pant-suit. "Who's that he's with?"

"The site owner is Faye Rothsay. She's eighteen years old," informed Cody as he clicked through a few links. "The babe in the bikini is supposed to be her mother, back when she was working as a model." He referred to the police record again. "Aha! In June of 1984, Agent Mann posed as a vigilante to catch an assassin who killed the president of Sylvana Fashions. That must have been when that shot was taken. And..." Triumphantly, he switched to another search window. "How's this for a coincidence? Her blog says that a friend of the family runs a pharmacy in the commerce district."

"Now we're getting somewhere; print that picture, would you?" He rubbed his hands together with glee. "I'm going to find this girl and give her an offer that she can't refuse."

"Just make sure that you don't lose sight of the plan," Cody reminded him. "Kearns is getting impatient, and if we don't deliver, we're both dead men."


	3. Chapter 3

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 3

Lina was preparing to go out when she felt the vibrations in the floor of her sitting room. The generator that she had wired to the house's electrical system automatically switched on and revved up in response to a sudden increase in power load. Startled, she watched as Cursor emerged from the computer screen on the desk across the room, followed by Automan's materialization. "Hi," she said, somewhat confused. "Why are you here? I didn't call you."

"I found some new information on your case, and I thought you'd be interested," he said before noticing her flowing blue dress and giving it an appreciative look. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Lt. Baker gave me the afternoon off. I've been invited to Mark's birthday party," she explained as she put on a jacket.

"Mark... is he your nephew?"

"That's right; he's five years old today. Family comes before work, so the case can wait."

Auto walked forward a few steps, and then hesitated before asking, "Would your sister object if I came along? You've spoken about your family often and I'd like to meet them."

She considered; perhaps it was time. She and Automan had been in a relationship for several months but the only people who knew that were Auto's creator, Walter Nebicher, and his family. "I don't think she would mind, but would you please dress for the occasion?"

He gave her a dazzling smile. "Of course. Cursor!" His glowing companion bounced around him and rezzed up a white shirt under a dark grey business suit that complimented her dress. He gallantly offered his arm.

With a giggle she slipped her arm into his and snuggled close to him affectionately for a moment before taking her keys out of her purse. "I'll drive this time. I hope you can get along with a bunch of kids!"

When they were on their way, Auto asked, "Is a birthday party an important event?"

"For children it is, and many adults too," she replied. "It's a time to celebrate with friends and family, and to recognize being a year older, and maybe even wiser. But kids don't care about that part; the big deal for them is that they get cake and presents." She chuckled.

"Interesting. I've... never had one myself."

"What?" she exclaimed. "Walter never acknowledged your birthday? I find that hard to believe! Granted, you don't physically age and have no use for material possessions, but still..." This was something that she definitely had to speak to her mentor about. An idea began to form in her mind. "When is your birthday? Or rather," she amended, "when did you first come into this world?"

"My first activation was on the fifteenth of April 1983. Why?"

"Oh, it's just good to know." She smiled to herself.

When they arrived at her sister's house and opened the front door, they were greeted by squeals of "Auntie Lina's here!" and the sound of pattering feet as two children stampeded into view. Five-year-old Mark and seven-year-old Shannon each grabbed one of Lina's hands and began to pull her inside. "Come dance with us!"

With a brief look of embarrassment at Auto, she allowed herself to be yanked away. "Hey, not so hard!" she protested gently.

"Hello," said an alto voice. Auto turned to see a slender woman who wore a burgundy knee-length dress that drew out the highlights in her long light brown hair. "I'm Allison Stanley; you must be the boyfriend that Carly mentioned." She looked him up and down before raising an eyebrow. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Mrs. Stanley. I'm Otto J. Mann," he said with a slight bow. He shook her proffered hand and she recoiled a little when she felt a static shock.

Allison gestured to their right, scowling as a telephone rang. "Please find yourself a spot in the sitting room; I'll be right there." Turning, she rushed through a doorway into the kitchen.

Auto walked to the next room to see a group of half a dozen children including Mark and Shannon, along with Lina, parading around a coffee table and flapping their arms in a curious manner. A television blared a music video that was being performed by a group of men wearing brightly coloured shirts. "Quack quack quack quack quack cock-a-doodle-doo..." Lina was doing a credible job of singing along; obviously she had done this quite a few times before.

Highly amused by Lina's antics, he made a quick request of a nearby wireless network and accessed some basic information on the musicians from the Internet. He immediately understood why the children liked the group.

As he watched them play, he wondered if Lina had ever considered having children. The thought sobered him, since being non-human, he couldn't experience it himself. Although she had once told him that it didn't matter, he didn't want her to miss out on what appeared to be one of life's greatest joys.

Attuned to him as she was, Lina noticed his pensive expression and detached herself from the cavorting kids to saunter over to him and murmur softly, "I know what you're thinking; we'll talk about it later. Now come and have some fun."

Something tugged on his sleeve and Auto looked down to see Shannon peering up at him somewhat suspiciously. "Are you Auntie Lina's boyfriend?"

Lina burst out laughing.

"Boyfriend?" said Mark with scorn. "Blech!"

"Now, kids, be nice to Mr. Mann," admonished Allison, who had just entered the room.

"Mr. Mann? What kind of name is that?" asked another child.

"Well?" demanded Shannon, her hands on her hips in an imperious pose.

By this time most of the kids were giggling, and Lina was holding a hand over her mouth, trying hard to contain her mirth. Allison smiled wryly and said, "Kids can be so blunt sometimes."

Holding one hand behind his back, Auto knelt in front of Shannon and smiled. "Yes, I am," he said, happiness filling his circuits as he admitted the fact. "And I'd like to get to know you and your brother as well." He brought forth his hand, which now contained a bouquet of colourful flowers.

The girl's eyes widened in awe. "Magic!" she cried. The others all crowded around as Shannon hesitantly touched the blooms. "They feel real, not like those silly plastic ones."

"He's a cop _and_ a magician?" Allison asked, very much impressed. "You'd better keep this one!" She winked cheekily.

Having finally got a hold of herself Lina stuck her tongue out at her sister before commenting, "Auto, I hope you know what you've gotten into."

Automan stood and the flowers in his hand dissolved into blue motes of energy, eliciting delighted exclamations from the children. For the next few minutes he performed a variety of tricks, such as making small objects appear and vanish, causing objects to fly around, and transmuting one object into another - all with Cursor's help, Lina knew. He must have watched a magic show at some point.

At the end of his presentation, Auto bowed to everyone's enthusiastic applause.

"You're going to be a wanted man around here from now on," Lina joked as he returned to her side.

He laughed: a genuine expression of feeling that was a rarity for him since he was still getting used to the complexities of emotion.

"Well, Carly, I'm happy for you." Allison poked a finger at her. "And now you have no excuse to not invite him to a family dinner."

"I wish I could, but more often than not he's working," Lina responded. That wasn't the whole truth, but how could she explain that Automan didn't ingest anything? "He's a very busy man; it was a spur of the moment decision for him to come today."

Allison tossed her head irritably, but let it slide. "Speaking of food, who wants cake?" she called. The kids all raced out of the room, chattering noisily. "Will you join us?"

"Actually-" Auto began, but was interrupted by a trill from Lina's cellphone.

Grumbling, she pulled it from her purse and looked at the display. "It's from HQ," she said, and answered it. "Hello? Yes, sir... What kind of problem? Is it about the case? ...All right, I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up. "Baker wants me back. Apparently it has something to do with you," she told Automan.

"I'm sorry, but I can't go with you," he said, looking slightly worried. "There's something else that I need to deal with."

Lina knew exactly what he meant: he had to recharge. It was late afternoon and soon the city's power consumption would rise sharply as the people began to arrive home from work and prepare their evening meals. Even now, she could tell that his form was not as clear as it had been earlier. Fortunately Allison hadn't noticed; only someone very familiar with him would see the subtle difference. "Then we'd better go. Sorry, sis. Save a piece of cake for me, would you?"

"Sure, go on. Nice to have met you, Otto," she said with a wave, and then walked away to attend to the kids.

They let themselves out of the house, and as soon as they reached Lina's car, she turned to speak to Auto quickly. "If this problem that Baker told me about requires your presence, it must be serious. I'll find out what's going on and call you later."

He nodded and hugged her, before pulling back to hold her at arm's length with an expression of curiosity. "Carly?"

So he had caught that detail, she thought ruefully. "Only Allison calls me that," she informed him in a cautionary tone. "When we were kids, she overheard our parents saying that if I had been a boy they would have named me Carl. She has called me Carly ever since."

With a smile, Auto shook his head slightly in amusement at the idiosyncrasies of humans, and took her in his arms again. "Thank you for a pleasant afternoon. I hope to share more of them." Wanting very much to stay longer, but knowing that he couldn't, he was grateful that she understood him so well. Heedless of his rapidly diminishing power, he lowered his head to kiss her.

Lina reciprocated eagerly, despite feeling the subtle electrical charge on her skin that presaged his dissolution. She held him until he vanished, her arms around nothing and her lips touching only air. With a bittersweet sigh she said softly, "Me too."


	4. Chapter 4

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 4

"Please, I need to talk to Agent Mann, it's very important!" begged the agitated young woman. "I've been looking for him for a really long time. When I heard that he has been seen around here, I had to come and find him. Why have I been given the run-around all afternoon?"

"Procedure," said Lt. Baker calmly. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but we can't have just anyone coming in here asking to see a certain colleague. Unfortunately, Agent Mann isn't here; he only works in our district once every few months. But since you've said it's that urgent, I've called our liaison officer." He picked up the phone on his desk. "Baines, my office, now!" he barked.

Less than a minute later a woman in a blue dress knocked on the door and entered. She looked slightly dishevelled, as if she had arrived in a hurry. "You called, sir?"

"Officer Baines, this is Miss Faye Rothsay. She claims to have something important to tell Agent Mann in person. You mentioned last night that he was in town; is it possible for you to get in touch with him?"

"Yes, I can. But he moves around a lot, as you know, and I don't know if he's still here." Whatever the reason for this girl's need to talk to him, he couldn't be called immediately anyway. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Factoring in the duration of cross-country flights and the time zone changes, she came up with an estimate of when it was humanly possible to get from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. and back. "Even if he's available, the earliest he could be here is around midnight."

Faye handed a piece of paper to Lt. Baker. "Here's my cell number. Please call me if he comes in."

* * *

><p>Lina returned to her desk to see several printouts that hadn't been there before, so she picked them up. A glance was enough for her to remember what Automan had mentioned earlier about new information, so she sat down and flipped through the papers to find out if there was anything worth pursuing.<p>

Her former flame, Neil, had a rap sheet that dated back two years, beginning around the time when the dot-com industry was in trouble and many small businesses were struggling. It was mostly minor stuff, up until recently when he had been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, but nothing was conclusively proven.

As for McClard, he had been a video game programmer until he was fired from his job for writing a virus as a practical joke that had gone horribly wrong and erased half of his team's work. Since then he had been employed by various companies to spy upon or otherwise undermine their rivals without doing anything strictly illegal.

There didn't seem to be any obvious connection between the two men. She didn't understand why a hacker would be present at a drug deal.

But as she thought about it, she had an off-beat idea. What if the drugs were not the only things being exchanged last night? For most enterprises, legitimate or otherwise, accurate information was essential for business. It was possible that in exchange for providing details about police movements and drug shipments, McClard was being rewarded with computer equipment or something else that he needed.

Tracking him down wouldn't be all that difficult. If he had tapped into the police computers at some point, the originating IP address would have been logged and flagged as an intrusion by the network's security program no matter how well he had covered his tracks: a little feature that she and Auto had implemented as part of a recent upgrade.

Once she found the IP address, it was a simple matter to tap the provider to get the physical location for the hook-up, which turned out to be an apartment above a bar on the east side. Address in hand, she picked up her jacket and left. It was time to ask Cody McClard for some information.

The bar was in full Friday night party mode when she arrived, but the second floor windows were dark and there seemed to be no activity inside. The bartender told her that the person who lived upstairs had only been there a few months and was rarely seen.

After finding the door unlocked and the apartment empty, Lina muttered, "Rarely seen, huh? Make that not seen." Her voice echoed off the bare walls. Now she would have to wait until he hooked up his computer again somewhere else to make another hack. "How about a little challenge, Mr. McClard," she said to the empty room, putting her hands on her hips. "If I can't find you, I know someone who can."

* * *

><p>Neil walked casually out of the pharmacy, bag in hand, and got into a car that was parked across the street. Seated in the back was Cody, working on a laptop. "All clear?"<p>

"No problem. I've closed the phony account and changed the file; as far as they'll know, the transaction never existed. Now all we have to do is get this to our new contact. He goes by the code-name 'Murphy' and tonight's password is 'thunder'. You'll be getting a text with the handover location."

Starting up the car, Neil eased into the street and started to drive randomly around the area. "So where are your new digs? Or am I not allowed to know that?"

"Not until the heat's gone. Robyn at the Player's said that there was a cop nosing around, so someone must have traced me. I'm going to hack into the police computer again to throw them off."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Neil asked. "If they traced you once, they can do it again."

"Not this time." Cody sounded quite confident. "Stop here," he said abruptly, and waited until Neil maneuvered the car into a parking space on a side street to elaborate. "I found an unsecured network; it's perfect!" He typed purposefully. "The last time I was in the police system I cracked a few security codes, so I'm using their own codes to make the system think that whatever I do is routine stuff."

"In that case," Neil said with a nasty grin, "let's give the story I planted about Agent Mann some more credibility. Can you create something like an outstanding warrant on him? Stalking, assault, that sort of thing?"

Cody smirked. "I like the way you think, buddy. Let's see..." He accessed the warrant database easily, created a back-dated record, and then leaned back in his seat for a moment to look at his work as the system processed it. After two seconds he bolted upright. "What? No, that can't be right!" He resumed typing, more urgently this time.

"What's up? I thought you had their codes."

"I do, but for some reason I'm hitting a file lock. The system won't accept the new data." He initiated the process again, but as before, it was refused, and a new window appeared on his screen. "Huh? Call me crazy but I swear that computer is talking back to me. It's giving me pop-ups when it shouldn't!"

"What's it say?"

"It reads 'Warrant database is restricted to authorized personnel. Access denied.' It won't do anything."

Neil craned his head over his shoulder to stare at his friend in confusion. "Are you telling me that the computer isn't _letting_ you change the data?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," said Cody, and then grumbled, "I don't get it. There's not one computer out there that I can't get into. This means war." He opened a new window and programmed a worm that would disguise itself as a legitimate data transfer and then unlock the records once it was processed. "Let's see you stop that," he chortled as he uploaded the file. Then he swore.

"Now what?" Neil asked.

"Another pop-up: 'Unknown file identifier, data transfer aborted. Access denied.' I can't believe this; it locked me out of the system! You'd think that it was smart or something, the way it stopped me."

"Come on, man. Computers can't think."

"Could have fooled me. You'll just have to come up with something else." In his ire he snapped the laptop closed, not noticing the final insolent pop-up window:

'Nice try.'


	5. Chapter 5

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 5

It was very late, and Lina was tired after driving halfway across the city to follow a cold trail. After arriving at the office, she put in a call to Automan but he didn't materialize right away; either he was still in a charge cycle or was processing some more information and wouldn't appear until he was done.

In the meantime she consulted with Lt. Baker, who suggested that they invite Faye Rothsay back. They did so, and the young woman arrived within half an hour, looking wide awake and somewhat apprehensive. After exchanging pleasantries, they settled in to wait.

A few minutes had passed when the floor vibrated slightly and all the lights dimmed for a moment. Nobody paid much attention to the occurrence, since most assumed that it was due to a small earth tremor or to an electrical fault. Only Lina knew that Auto had finally arrived, but she maintained a calm facade to disguise her excitement at seeing him again.

There was a brief knock before the door to the office opened, and in came the imposing presence of Agent Mann, dressed to the nines, although the ever-present glowing blue stripe on his collar wasn't easily visible under the fluorescent lights. Faye gaped at his six-foot-five frame and ineffably handsome countenance, and Lina had to bite her lip to stop herself from grinning at the girl's reaction.

"Good evening Lieutenant Baker, Officer Baines," he said politely. "I understand there's a problem."

Baker reached out to shake Auto's hand, and then flicked his own when he got zapped with static. "Thank you, Agent Mann, for coming on such short notice." He indicated Faye. "Miss Rothsay here has told us that she has some important information for you that had to be delivered in person." He regarded the taller man with a sceptical look. "Pardon me for asking, but what would a kid know that's of interest to a federal agent?"

"It's about the past catching up to him," stated Faye with a slightly malicious tone that Lina didn't miss. "Can I speak with him alone?"

"Of course," Automan said with a friendly smile. "We can talk in my office." He indicated for her to precede him. As she walked ahead, he nodded to Baker, and shot a glance at Lina indicating that she ought to follow.

A short distance down the hall was a solid wood door with 'Agent Otto J. Mann' emblazoned on a nameplate. Auto showed Faye inside. "Just a moment please, I need to speak to Officer Baines." After closing the door he checked that he and Lina were the only ones in the hall. "Do you want to be privy to this conversation?" he asked quietly, standing still. His meaning was unmistakable. With a nod, she sidestepped into him; his form rezzed around her as she merged with his dimension.

He opened the door again and entered the office. It was a purely functional space with a computer on a desk and two chairs; there were no personal embellishments of any kind except for a small framed photograph of him with a middle-aged couple and two tween boys that hung on the wall.

"So, Miss Rothsay," he began, "what must you tell me? Surely you could have left a message instead of requiring me to be called here. My time is very valuable."

She cleared her throat a bit nervously, took a photo out of her purse and held it up. "Do you recognise this?"

The man in the picture clearly was him, as he had appeared early in his career. He was dressed in a grey suit and standing between two women: one a long-haired brunette in a blue bikini, and the other was a redhead wearing a tasteful pant-suit. "That was taken at Sylvana Fashions on the second of June, 1984," he said. "The ladies are Vice-President Tracy Morgan and Dawn, one of the models. How did you acquire it?"

Faye pointed at Dawn. "This is my mother. She told me so many stories about Agent Otto J. Mann who saved her and Tracy from some gangsters." The girl took a shaky breath. "But there's one story that I had real trouble believing until I found out that you worked here - and unless you want to have a big stain on your career, you'd better believe this story too - Agent Mann, you are my biological father."

Lina's emotional reaction was so violent that she caused Auto to involuntarily back up a step. For a second, she didn't know whether to laugh or be angry. How could anyone have concocted such a lie? She struggled to get herself under control; the last thing they needed was for her to project through Automan's body right then and there.

After the initial surprise Automan regained his usual calm quickly. "Miss Rothsay," he said in a firm but kind voice, "you are mistaken."

"My mother wouldn't lie to me!" retorted Faye hotly.

Auto placed his hand on her shoulder. "Then perhaps she chose to tell you that in order to protect you or herself from something," he went on. "Whatever the circumstances, I am not who you think I am. It is impossible for me to conceive children; if you wish, I can access medical records."

The girl stared at him for a moment, and then shoved the photo back into her purse. "Someone is lying, and I'm going to find out who! And when I do, watch out!" She stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Lina emerged from Automan's form, clenching her fists in outrage. "Who could think up such an impossible, insulting-"

"Lina," said Auto over her invective, but when she continued he repeated, "Lina!" more loudly, finally quelling her rant. "She obviously wasn't telling the truth. You don't need to be so upset."

She took a deep breath to help herself calm down. He was right, but the girl's revelation had been quite a shock nonetheless. "The photo was genuine, though?"

"Yes, it was." He went to the computer on his desk and did a search. "Here, it's posted on this web site for anyone to see. Why would she attempt to use it for blackmail?"

After scanning the site, Lina mused, "She's a teenager; maybe she had an argument with her mother and is trying to get even. Or it's possible that someone else put her up to it."

"I doubt she would go to such lengths simply to tarnish her mother's reputation. The image has been available for some time; therefore if she really wanted to use it against her mother or me she would have done so already."

Lina nodded thoughtfully. "But she insisted that you had to be here. She must have known that not just anyone can whistle up a federal agent. Either she or someone else found the connection between you and the department and wants to sabotage you, or perhaps someone associated with you."

"Somebody definitely wants to hinder me," he confirmed. "The police system was hacked earlier by a person trying to plant a false warrant on my record, but the security program alerted me and I stopped them."

So that was most likely why he hadn't appeared right away at her call. "Do you think it could have been McClard? I've been trying to track him down but I haven't had much luck."

Auto typed a few commands on his computer. "There's a high probability, because he has penetrated the system before. However I've made some modifications so that he won't be able to do so again. All of the cable and telephone service providers know about him and will inform us if he makes any more illegal taps." Auto straightened up and moved around the desk, closer to her. "Tell me, how would a human react to the kind of situation that we have here?"

"That depends on the human," she replied. "Many people, particularly those in positions of authority, would deny allegations of that nature and bribe the accusers for their silence. Few would admit any fallibility, or face any personal and professional consequences."

He smiled. "Neither of those circumstances applies to me, since we already know that Miss Rothsay's accusation is untrue."

"Yes, but there's truth-" she levelled one hand in front of her, "and perception of truth," she spread her hands apart. "They're not the same at all. I suggest that you print those medical records; you'll need an ironclad defense if this goes public and stirs up a hornet's nest."

"Lina," he admonished, "you know insects can't bother me."

She couldn't help but giggle at his literal interpretation of the figure of speech, but didn't correct him as she suddenly felt a need for his reassurance. Automan's records were flawless - she had created many of them herself, after all - but the fact that someone was trying to use a simple photo against him was unnerving.

Auto folded his arms around her when he noticed her disquiet. "Don't worry. Everything will work out in the end," he predicted. "It usually does."


	6. Chapter 6

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance

By Sailor Chronos  
>Chapter 6<p>

"'Federal agent accused of affair'?" cried Walter Nebicher as he read the headline in the morning newspaper. He slammed his cup of coffee on the table so forcefully that some of the liquid sloshed over the rim.

"What?" His wife Roxanne was just as surprised. "That can't mean Automan?"

Walter brandished the paper, scowling. "That's what it says. 'Controversy has surfaced for Otto J. Mann, a special agent with the Federal Computer Crimes Unit. Faye Rothsay, a high-school student from Leimert Park, has brought up allegations of sexual assault on behalf of her mother Dawn Rothsay, a former fashion model.' I'll give you one guess as to who wrote this."

Roxanne lifted her eyes with a groan. "Tom Sholes?"

"Bingo." He sighed. "Sholes has been trying to find the truth about Auto for years, but I didn't think he would stoop to writing something that belongs in a gossip column. It's patently false."

"Even so, if this blows up it's only a matter of time before we get involved because you work with him regularly. Maybe you should get in touch with Noah Jeffries just in case."

The Central Division's senior prosecution lawyer had been an acquaintance of theirs for a long time. "Good idea. We could even file a case of libel against Sholes if it comes to that." He laughed mirthlessly. "I just can't picture Automan in a courtroom."

"Do you think Lina has heard?" Roxanne asked in concern. "Since she's involved with him, I'll bet anything she goes ballistic."

"Knowing her, she probably will. I just hope she doesn't get into trouble."

* * *

><p>The first thing she did when she arrived at her division that morning, Lina stormed over to Tom Sholes who was helping himself to a cup of coffee at the snack nook. "I can't believe that even <em>you<em> would write such drivel!" she railed at him, waving a rolled-up newspaper.

"And a good morning to you too, Officer," he said sarcastically. The skinny man had hardly changed since he had first started at the department as a press attaché all those years ago, although his jowls were somewhat more pronounced and there was much less of his hair. "I assume you're talking about the article that I wrote about Agent Mann, or Mad Dog, or whatever he calls himself now?" He took a casual swig of his coffee. "An opportunity presented itself to me, and I took it. How is that a problem?"

"The problem is that you had no right to have such allegations published. You took that girl at her word and did not consult anyone else. A reporter's job is to tell the facts, not perpetuate hearsay."

He glared at her. "You don't tell me how to do my job, and I don't tell you to do yours," he said. "Besides, why are you so concerned about him?"

"I'm his liaison officer with this division, so it's my business to be concerned. He's one of the best resources this police force has, and I won't stand and watch as his reputation is tarred." Despite her anger, she knew she should divert him from this line of conversation, but couldn't resist taking a cheap shot. "It's bad enough that you had to transfer here from Central; what happened, did the captain over there get tired of you?"

"Baines!" Lt. Baker bellowed from across the floor.

"This isn't finished," she growled at Sholes, and strode over to her superior's office.

As soon as she closed the door, Baker said firmly, "I would appreciate it if you didn't antagonize our press contact. It's hard enough to keep his nose where it belongs as it is."

"Have you seen this morning's Chronicle, sir?" she demanded as she pointed in the reporter's direction. "Sholes has publicized false accusations against Agent Mann without substantiation."

"Which is why you need to stick to your job," he insisted, "and stay out of the line of fire. We don't want you to get bogged down in a legal mess." Then he lowered his voice. "Don't think I haven't noticed you being all starry-eyed, so it's for your protection as well as his. I spoke to Lt. Nebicher a short while ago and he's going to deal with Sholes. You get back to your case."

There was no point in further discussion, so she nodded in defeat. "Yes, sir." She had to trust that Lt. Baker and Walter would do what was needed.

* * *

><p>Walter entered Parker Center with mixed feelings. When he and Roxanne had returned from their honeymoon and discovered that the mainframe in his Special Sections office had been dismantled, he had believed that Automan's master program was lost with it. Infuriated, he'd transferred out and hadn't set foot in the building since.<p>

But thanks to Lina, Automan was back in action, for which he was exceedingly appreciative. It was now well past time to let bygones be bygones and get reacquainted with an old friend.

"Thank you for seeing me today," he said as he entered the office of Noah Jeffries.

"It's no trouble. Good to see you, Walter," said the lawyer, smiling broadly as the two shook hands. "So you're a Lieutenant now! I'm glad that you're doing well." Like most people of African-American descent, he had aged well; the only thing that had changed was his hair which was now salt-and-pepper. "Now what brings you here?"

"I have a problem called Tom Sholes," he said bitterly, and Jeffries' expression spoke volumes about his feelings toward the reporter. "His newspaper published a defamatory article about my colleague Agent Mann; do you remember him?"

"Yeah. Wasn't he the one who helped to get evidence on that assassin who killed Jack Curtis' friend? I'd wondered why he disappeared for so long with no reason."

Walter declined to respond to the implied question. "Well, as you might have heard, Agent Mann is back in town, and Sholes apparently has decided to start a war of words." Walter put the offending issue of the paper on Jeffries' desk. "The 'facts' presented here are false and they're based only on only a single person's say-so, with no actual proof. Would it be worth it to sue for libel?"

"Maybe, but that depends on what Agent Mann wants," was the lawyer's response. "You're his police partner, right? You can't legally speak for him."

"I know. But I can tell you that he'd accept an apology and an assurance that he be left alone. This kind of attention is detrimental to his job. We'd both appreciate it if you could find a way to get Sholes to cool his heels."

"All right, I'll make a few phone calls. I can't guarantee anything, but usually all it takes is the threat of litigation to make someone back down. I'll let you know."

Walter gave a relieved sigh. "Thanks, Noah. I owe you one."

With a deep laugh, Jeffries shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I've wanted to take Sholes down a peg or two for years. He's too smart for his own good; one of these days he's going to get himself into something that he can't get out of."


	7. Chapter 7

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 7

Lina was becoming frustrated in not being able to make headway in the case. After the attempted intrusion of the police computers the previous night, both McClard and Christensen seemed to have dropped off the map. The nasty article in the newspaper had only created more speculation and her co-workers were beginning to ask her personal questions about Agent Mann that she was unwilling to answer.

She decided to tackle the source of the rumour: Faye Rothsay. There had to be something going on behind the scenes that had precipitated the girl's sudden appearance, and Lina had to find out what it was and put a stop to it.

After parking her car in front of a nondescript condo complex, she looked up the family's name on the door chart and buzzed in.

The woman who answered her knock still bore a striking resemblance to the model from the photograph. Her figure had filled out a bit over the years, her hair was cropped to just above her shoulders, and the tired look in her eyes implied a stressful life. But her graceful movements and smooth facial features were evidence of the career that she had once enjoyed.

"Good morning Mrs. Rothsay, I'm Officer Baines," Lina said, showing her badge. "Is your daughter in, please?"

"She's still asleep; she was out very late. Is she in some sort of trouble?" Mrs. Rothsay asked, showing Lina inside.

"That's what I've come to find out," Lina explained. "Last night she visited my division and accused one of my colleagues, a federal agent, of an indiscretion. I was told that she had a photo of you with him and Tracy Morgan. Then, after not hearing what she wanted to hear, she poured a false story out to the press."

Stunned, the woman turned away. "Oh my... I hadn't seen the news this morning." Torn between anger at her daughter and nervousness, she bit her lower lip before asking, "This federal agent you mentioned... would it happen to be Otto Mann?"

"That's right. I have a theory that someone is using the connection between you and his Sylvana Fashions case to discredit him, and your daughter has been forced into the middle. If you know anything about this, please tell me."

"I'm sorry, it's partially my fault," Mrs. Rothsay said with a sad sigh. "Tracy used to visit often when Faye was little, and we told her about Otto. Sometimes when Faye was mad at her father, she would wish that Otto had been her father instead. She was enthralled with the idea of being related to a secret agent, particularly because she appears to resemble him more than she does her own father."

"That's normal for a kid, but why do this now? Obviously something has changed." When Mrs. Rothsay gave her a baffled look, she tried a different tack. "What does Faye's father do?"

"Wendell is a pharmacist, he works uptown." When she noticed Lina's sudden dismay, she asked, "Is that important?"

"It might be. Mrs. Rothsay, we are working on a case involving the smuggling of pharmaceutical drugs. It's possible that Faye or her father were threatened with violence unless she concocted this story to get Agent Mann out of the picture." She put one hand on the doorknob. "Please don't tell her that I was here or anything about this conversation. The less she knows the better. Also I suggest that you find a way to get your family out of here for a few days, in case of reprisals."

Mrs. Rothsay gave a frightened nod. "Thank you, officer."

"You can thank me after you're safe. Be careful."

* * *

><p>More files awaited her on her desk when she got back, including one from Agent Mann marked 'Urgent'. As she read through it, she saw that Auto had the same idea that she had and printed records pertaining to Faye and her father Wendell Rothsay. He worked at a pharmacy in the commerce district that was owned by a businessman with whom Wendell had gone to college.<p>

Another page showed a map of Los Angeles with marks that denoted various small businesses, including the pharmacy that Mr. Rothsay worked at, along with a typed note: "These are all establishments where the computers have reported being hacked in the last month. However they can't remember what was actually done because the hacker erased all transaction records."

It was beginning to fit: Neil and McClard, and probably others as well, were scoping out companies and altering their computer records in order to get merchandise for someone. On the surface it looked like just a penny-ante operation, but often such things were only preparatory work for a much more elaborate heist. The big question was when was it going to happen?

She was taking the information to Lt. Baker when Sholes planted himself firmly in her way. "Did you really have to call in the big guns?" he asked, point-blank.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, annoyed. "Please move; I'm busy."

"Come on, Officer Baines! Don't give me that innocent routine!" At his tone, Lina looked at him and saw that he wasn't being his normal cynical self; he was truly angry. "My editor just told me that he got a call from the assistant D.A., telling him to print a retraction on that article I wrote or be sued for libel. This looks like a cover-up to me; what's Agent Mann trying to hide?"

"Nothing," she asserted. "He can't do his job effectively while under a cloud, especially a fake one like what you created. So do us all a favour: put up and shut up." She tried to go around him, but he moved to intercept her.

"This wouldn't have to do with your relationship with him, would it?" he pressed her.

It was no surprise that he had figured it out; even though she hadn't mentioned anything to her co-workers, chatter was rife. Facing him, she gave him the most riled don't-go-there glare that she could muster. "An officer's personal life is none of your business, Sholes. Stick to the real news, not silly gossip. Lieutenant!" she called when she spotted Baker across the room, and made her escape.

"Yes, Baines?" her superior asked when she reached him.

Lina muttered, "I've got to get him off my back. Now he thinks we're smoke-screening him."

"Let him. At this rate, nobody around here's going to give him the time of day. You have something?"

"McClard and Christensen are hacking computers and falsifying records to procure items from stores all over town. I'm thinking that's all practice runs for something much bigger. I just don't know where or when."

"I can help with that. Wickstrom, the dealer who was brought in a few days ago, said that he'd been hired by a man named Philip Kearns. Find him and you'll have your answer."

It didn't take long for her to add the necessary papers to her case file. Philip Kearns was a businessman who had gained most of his wealth through legitimate enterprises and he frequently donated money to struggling companies. He lived in a large house in the Hills with his wife and two young kids. Lina's first impression was that he didn't seem to be the kind of person who would be involved in drug dealing.

The challenge would be how to force him to tip his hand. She couldn't get any sort of warrant on him based on one dealer's word, and he would probably spook if she were to show up at his home. However if any incriminating E-mails or phone conversations were recorded, that might get the proverbial foot in the door. For that, she would need some assistance.

* * *

><p>Cody was at his computer as usual, working on some minor details of the gang's next 'lift' when his cellphone rang. He put on his headset so that he could keep typing. "Safe house."<p>

"Mr. McClard," the unmistakable voice of Kearns sounded in his ear. "Is everything prepared?"

"Yes sir, we're ready to move."

Kearns rattled off a series of numbers and hung up.

Cody pocketed the scrap of paper on which he'd written the numbers, and then used a USB drive to transfer some information from his desk computer to a laptop. Next, he made a phone call. "Murphy, this is Apache. We're live."


	8. Chapter 8

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 8

"Good day, Agent Mann," Lina said formally when the door to his office opened at her knock. "I'm glad that you're here. Were you able to get the information that I requested?"

"I did, Officer Baines," he replied. "Please, come in." As she shut the door behind her he continued companionably, "The telephone company's computers were quite accommodating and recorded a call that originated from Philip Kearns' home at 11:45 AM, to a cellular phone registered to Cody McClard." He gave her a sheet of paper with a short transcript on it. "I also took the liberty of tracing Mr. McClard's latest Internet tap to a residence in Westlake, since you mentioned yesterday that you were trying to locate him."

With a grin, she said, "You never cease to impress me, Auto; thank you. Everything's coming together: Kearns is having several people, including Neil and McClard, falsify computer records in order to steal merchandise. But I have a hunch that there's something bigger in the works, and it looks like this phone call might have been some sort of signal to start."

"A reasonable assumption," Auto said, "but how does Miss Rothsay figure into this?"

"McClard has hacked into the police systems. He and Neil must have figured out that we are working together, connected your Sylvana Fashions case record with Faye's photo, and threatened her if she didn't leak that phony story to try to distract us from the investigation. The fact that her father is a pharmacist is probably just coincidence."

"Wait, you said that she leaked the story?" he asked in a tone that sounded more curious than worried. "Did she actually go public with it?"

Right, he wouldn't have known that. "Not directly, but she told Tom Sholes of all people, who was more than willing to listen. He had it published in this morning's Chronicle, but he told me a short while ago that since then the paper has been threatened with a libel suit if they don't print a retraction. He's furious."

"He would be," Auto murmured with a slight frown. "He has been trying to uncover my identity for a long time."

"That concerns me too, but we can't deal with him right now. We need to catch Kearns and his men before they start their operation."

He nodded in agreement, but then surprised her by asking, "I do have one question, however: why are you referring to Mr. Christensen by his first name? Do you know him?"

She didn't want to admit it, but at the same time, it did have a bearing on their case. "Yes... we dated a few years ago. It didn't work out; I was uncomfortable with his attitude and he felt that I was focusing too much on my job."

"That certainly provides a motive for him to target us, which makes it vital to find him. The key is most likely in that sequence of numbers." He recited them from memory as Lina carefully examined the printout. "Perhaps they are a coded message."

"Not exactly a message..." she withdrew a pen from her pocket, "but a location!" After writing in a few decimal points, she showed it to him. "I knew I'd seen that kind of numeric sequence somewhere. It's GPS coordinates - latitude and longitude!"

"Well done, Lina," he praised her, "you're quite impressive yourself." He sat down in front of his computer and typed in the numbers. "Those coordinates are the location of a warehouse in the wholesale district that is the distribution point for various businesses around the city. That must be their objective. The only thing that remains is when."

"My guess would be sometime tonight. I'll tell Lt. Baker and we'll set up surveillance. When the action starts, I'll call you."

"Very well, I shall await it." He smiled cheerily at her before disappearing.

* * *

><p>As soon as the local businesses closed for the night and the area became deserted, several pairs of officers took up covert positions around a large grey warehouse and settled in to wait. Such operations were mind-numbingly boring, but Lina knew that if they had any chance of stopping a potential theft of material with a value in five figures, they had to stay alert. This didn't go over well with her partner, Jim Hamilton, who was already tired and had resorted to telling stories of his rookie days in order to stay focused.<p>

He was waxing eloquent about a call to an apartment building that involved a bogus fire alarm and two crazed half-naked men chasing each other through the halls, when he was interrupted by an urgent radio broadcast from the dispatcher.

"Available units requested to respond to multiple alarms in the downtown area..." then he began to rattle off addresses.

"We ought to go," Hamilton said, tugging her sleeve.

"No, wait. Something about those addresses sounded familiar." She took out her cellphone and called up a map. "Those are the same places that this gang has hit before. They must have programmed the alarms to go off as a distraction!" She switched her radio to the local frequency. "Copy teams Two and Three, remain in position. The gang has set a decoy."

"Team Two, over," the radio crackled.

There was no response from Team Three.

She tried again. "Coombs, Kelley, respond!" No answer. This was worrisome. They might have not heard her override and left, or they had been discovered and neutralized. "Fall back to the car," she told Hamilton. "I'm going to check on Team Three."

"If something's happened to them, you shouldn't go alone!" he protested.

"I won't be alone," she said in an assertive tone and crept around the darkened perimeter of the building. Once she was out of Hamilton's sight, she used her cellphone to send a message to her home computer.

A metallic creaking sound startled her. One of the warehouse's shipping doors was beginning to open. Quickly she looked around; from her current vantage point she could see a car parked in the street nearby, where there had been none before. The thieves were already inside! She activated her radio. "Team One, Team Two, move in now!" she ordered.

Drawing her pistol, she charged toward the building. Behind her on the left she heard Hamilton drive up in their squad car. "This is the police!" he called through the car's megaphone. "Come out of the building with your hands up!"

By this time she was close enough to the fully open door to hear curses from several men inside.

"Apache said he disabled the alarm!" hollered a voice. "How could they have found us?"

"Who cares!" said another.

At least one of the men was armed, as Lina discovered when a gunshot rang out from the door. She flattened herself against the wall. Fortunately he hadn't been shooting at her, but toward the highly visible squad car. Hamilton's return shot ricocheted off the steel door jamb, and she muttered to herself, "Practice your aim, man."

She barely heard the sound of car tires screeching on asphalt, as it was eclipsed by a much louder rumbling inside the building. Boxes quivered on the tiers of metal shelves and the light fixtures shook and sparked. The men exclaimed in alarm.

For a few seconds there was complete silence, and then a strident voice spoke. "Good evening, gentlemen."

Lina vaulted up onto the shipping deck, and a bizarre scene met her eyes. Three men were gaping at a tall, brilliantly glowing blue figure with a human head. One held up a pistol and began to shoot, but Automan simply crossed his arms and smiled genially as the bullets passed through him.

Then she acted: she rushed forward to kick the shooter's legs out from underneath him, grabbed his sweater and slammed him to the concrete floor. His gun flew from his hand and slid under a shelf. The other two men tried to bolt, but Auto caught them both by their jackets and lifted them off their feet with his superhuman strength, holding them until Lina had cuffed their hands behind their backs.

"Nice timing," she complimented once the thieves were safely restrained. "More officers should be here any moment, so would you mind sending for your tailor?"

"Of course," he agreed and moved between two rows of shelves, out of the thieves' line of sight. Cursor appeared and bounced around him to create a navy blue business suit with a white shirt and tie.

Hamilton and Team Two arrived to find Lina and Agent Mann standing guard over the hapless trio. As the thieves were being taken away, one of them kept babbling, "He was _glowing_, he was _blue_! Like out of a movie!"

"Right, I think you've been on a few too many drugs, pal," scoffed one of the officers.

"But I saw it, I swear..!"

"Good evening, Agent Mann," said Hamilton as he recognized who Lina was with. "Not bad for a night's work," he continued with a satisfied sigh. "Now maybe I can go home."

"We need to find out what happened to Team Three," Lina insisted.

"Nothing good," Officer Kelley called, walking unsteadily toward them. "Someone got the drop on us." He winced as he rubbed his head. "By the time we recovered, the guy took off in a car. We got his accomplice though, and confiscated a laptop."

"McClard," Lina realized.

"Therefore it was Christensen who escaped," Auto said. "He should be apprehended before he causes any more trouble."

The suggestion had merit, but knowing Neil, Lina didn't believe that he was any serious threat on his own. "There's not much point in chasing him now, he's long gone. Since we have his main contact, he'll probably lie low for a while. We'll have plenty of time to track him down after we deal with this lot."

Auto was evidently displeased, but he accepted her judgment and accompanied them back to the station.


	9. Chapter 9

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 9

"You two make a good team; well done," Lt. Baker congratulated them when they reported to his office. "Based on your phone tap and what McClard and his associates said, we were able to arrest Kearns for conspiring to traffic in pharmaceutical drugs and other substances."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Agent Mann said modestly. "Most of Mr. Kearns' computer records pertaining to the operation had been expertly erased. According to the files I was able to salvage, he started it as a way to keep the businesses that he helped to finance in line."

Lina continued their summary. "However, it seems he got too greedy. He hired McClard to hack into the companies' computers and create false accounts so that one of the other gang members could go in and pick up small amounts of merchandise, which would then be sold on the streets at a profit. Drugs were taken most frequently because of their portability and value."

"When Mr. McClard hacked the computers, he also set up a routine that would trigger all the stores' alarm systems simultaneously," said Auto with a hint of compassion in his voice for the computers that had been forced to comply. "That would keep the police occupied elsewhere while the theft at the warehouse was being executed."

Baker scowled. "So what did Miss Rothsay have to do with it?"

"Nothing," Lina replied. "Her mother was a model at Sylvana Fashions at the same time as Agent Mann was undercover there on a case. I believe that Christensen and McClard discovered that, and they compelled her to plant a false accusation to stir things up in the hopes that he would be distracted from our investigation." She looked over at Auto. "Fortunately it didn't work."

"Don't be so sure about that," Baker advised. "Sholes has been going around all day looking like he could bite something. I had a feeling it was no coincidence that he came here from Central when you started showing up again, Agent Mann. What does he have against you?"

"I once posed as a vigilante in order to find the people responsible for two murders. After learning that he too had been fooled by the ruse, Mr. Sholes felt that I was still hiding something and vowed to uncover it."

"And now we have another fake story that he bought into," said Baker, understanding. "Either he won't distinguish fact from fiction, or maybe he thinks your record is so good that there has to be something wrong underneath. That's a very dangerous kind of person to be around, and I suggest you avoid him." He glared at them sternly but his mouth quirked, betraying his knowledge. "Both of you."

"We'll do our best," Lina said with a smile. It was heartening to know that Baker was on their side.

* * *

><p>Neil stormed around his small apartment in a rage. The bollixed operation meant that he was out of money and had to start all over again. He had no idea how the cops had known where the 'lift' was going to be, but given recent experiences, he was certain that Lina and Agent Mann had something to do with it.<p>

Lina was a programmer, and most likely Mann was too. Between the two of them they had beaten Cody at his own game. They also must have contacts that enabled them to quash the fake news story, because earlier he had read a retraction on the Chronicle's web site. Cody had been right: Agent Mann was a criminal's nightmare. He and Lina together were unstoppable.

Not for much longer. Since it was only a matter of time before the police found him, he had to act quickly.

* * *

><p>Another case was solved, Agent Mann's reputation was safe, and Lina had a rare evening of relaxation. She was at home lounging on the couch a with cup of peppermint tea in her hand and a movie playing on her DVD machine when suddenly she felt the room quiver, and the house's generator in its insulated shed outside automatically switched on and revved up to its full RPMs. Quickly she grabbed a remote control and turned off the electronics, not wanting to chance a burnout.<p>

Cursor emerged from the screen of her dormant computer, and shortly thereafter, Automan appeared in his default form of a glowing blue electro-magnetic field.

She was very happy to see him and greeted him brightly. "Hi, Auto. Will you join me for a movie? Or is this a business call?"

"Hello, Lina. Actually, I came to talk to you. At 4:23 on Friday afternoon you stated that we would talk about the subject of children, but we didn't get the opportunity to do so."

Her good mood dampened by his serious tone, she put her cup down on the coffee table. If he was quoting times and dates of the statements she had made, the issue had to be important to him. "Yes, I remember that. But I've told you that having children wasn't a priority for me, plus it shouldn't be the defining factor in a relationship."

"That's true," he agreed. "However when I attended Mark's birthday party with you and observed the behaviour of your sister and the children, I concluded that you could potentially be missing one of life's greatest experiences. Do you truly wish to continue this relationship, knowing that I cannot biologically reproduce?"

Lina stood, walked to him and lovingly slipped her arm around his waist, but he didn't move. When she gazed at his face his expression was unreadable. "Automan, creating offspring and being a parent don't necessarily go together. Many species, and unfortunately some humans, abandon their young to fend for themselves. There are people who are unable to have children, and yet they can become parents by fostering or adoption. It's about the care and nurture of the child more than the biological aspect."

"Correct, but you are avoiding the point," he said implacably as he backed out of her hold.

His computerized stubbornness was beginning to annoy her, and she sensed that this conversation wasn't going to end well. "Please, Auto, let's not argue. I would like it if someday you and I became parents; we can work it out when the time comes. But don't start believing that your limitations make you less than who you are. I never faulted you."

Emotion coursed through his systems and he had a little difficulty sorting it out. He felt honoured by her disclosure and it made him realize how mistaken he had been. However, he could see in her eyes the hurt that he had caused and decided that it would be best to leave the topic. "Thank you, Lina. I shouldn't have upset you; I'll take my leave so you can watch your movie." He stood at attention and returned to his world.

"Auto, wait!" Lina called, but it was too late; he had already disappeared. With a frustrated sigh, she turned toward her computer, knowing that sometimes Automan could hear what was spoken in the vicinity of the computer that he was active on, and shouted, "Mutinous, stubborn, irrational hologram!" Then she plopped down on the couch and took a sip of her now-lukewarm tea. "I guess this was our first fight. It was bound to happen sometime." Angry and no longer in the mood to watch the DVD, she rose again and went to put the cup in the kitchen sink before heading upstairs to prepare for bed.

She was almost at the top of the stairs when the doorbell rang, but she hesitated to answer because she wasn't expecting anyone. Most of her friends would call before coming over, and Allison tended to let herself in with her spare key instead of ringing the bell first. With a shrug she turned and started to descend.

Suddenly there was a crash as something flew through the sitting-room window, sending shards of glass everywhere. In the next second there was a bright flash of orange and red.


	10. Chapter 10

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 10

One of the hardest things for Walter to do was tell a colleague bad news. This was much worse. With shaking fingers, he booted up his computer and typed the activation codes for Automan.

After a brief pause the floor trembled, the lights flickered, and the house's external generator revved up in response to the load increase. Cursor emerged from the screen and whizzed to the centre of the room, spiralling downward toward the floor. Automan appeared there in his glowing blue magnificence. "Hello, Walter."

He immediately noticed that Auto was not smiling, nor had he spoken in his usual cordial tone of voice. "I assume you've read the news online?" Walter asked his friend.

"No," Auto replied. Despite his own feelings, curiosity got the better of him when he saw his creator's bleak expression. "What has happened?"

"You first," insisted Walter. "You're not sounding like yourself this morning. Are you all right?"

Auto looked at the floor for a moment. "Lina and I had... a disagreement," he confessed, raising his head only when he heard Walter inhale sharply. "What is it?"

"I... I'm so sorry, Auto." He stepped forward and gripped Auto's arms in a useless gesture of reassurance. "Lina's house was firebombed last night. She's in critical condition in hospital... they couldn't give me a prognosis."

The crushing sensation in his torso felt like he had been hit by an electromagnetic beam. He hadn't needed to read Walter's vital signs to know that he had been telling the truth; his creator never lied to him. Backing up a step, he stared at Walter with an all too human look of intense shock. "Not Lina..." He put a hand on his chest. "Walter, I can't process this."

The pain in his eyes was clear. "We all have to deal with loss at some point, Automan... even you. I won't be around forever, nor will Roxanne." Walter took a deep breath; as upset as he was, he needed to keep control of himself for Auto's sake. Automan's electro-magnetic form might be physically indestructible, but he had relatively little experience as far as strong emotions were concerned. His involvement with Lina was still new to him.

"I hadn't wanted to think about the possibility of losing someone," said Automan slowly. "When you were almost killed in 1984 it forced me to consider what I would do in that eventuality."

"You would continue to carry out your programming," said Walter confidently. "Every human knows that they will most likely outlive their parents and some of their friends. They grieve, they're thankful for the time that they shared, and they move on. That's the way life is." He reached up to hold Auto's shoulder. "Please, try to keep calm. I understand how you feel, really I do... but for Lina's sake we need to focus on finding out who did this."

Auto stood up straight and his eyes blazed. "I already have a theory as to who is responsible." He gestured toward the printer, which began to spit out papers. "One of the men involved with the smuggling operation that Lina and I shut down was a petty thief turned drug dealer named Neil Christensen, with whom Lina had a relationship several years ago."

Walter skimmed the pages before angrily crumpling them in his hand. "Yeah, he took off before the others were arrested. After failing to sabotage your career and losing his associates, he might have decided to escalate his vendetta."

"We must stop him, Walter. Lina's family, or even our family, could be at risk."

Tossing the papers aside, Walter said, "First things first: we should visit the hospital. Will you be able to maintain your presence for a while?"

Setting his lips in a grim line, Auto nodded. "I can draw on the hospital's emergency generators without disrupting any vital equipment. Cursor!" After the glowing polyhedron had rezzed up a dark grey business suit for him, he said, "Let's go."

Walter kept a close eye on his friend as they drove to the hospital in Walter's car. Although Auto had appeared to have recovered from his extreme reaction at the news about Lina, he had a look on his face that Walter knew very well. It was the look of a person who'd had his confidence shattered and was now clawing at the pieces, trying to retain some semblance of normalcy. He wanted so much to give Auto some hope, but at this point it might only be empty words.

They were met outside the ICU by a doctor in his sixties with grey hair and bifocal glasses. A tag on his white coat read Dr. John Tyler: the head of the hospital's team that treated injuries to law enforcement officers. He had overseen Walter's treatment in 1984 when he had been shot, and had also been there for Lina's case of near-electrocution a few months ago. "Lt. Nebicher, Agent Mann," he said, shaking their hands in turn. "I wish we could stop meeting under such circumstances. You're here to see Officer Baines?" When they both nodded he continued, "The good news is that she was extremely lucky, given the circumstances. I was told by the EMTs that brought her in that the structure of the staircase that she had been standing on shielded her from some of the explosion. But the bad news is that she suffered severe burns from the resulting fire, mostly on her legs and back. She also inhaled a lot of smoke, and is currently unconscious and on a ventilator to assist her breathing."

Walter had to clear his throat before asking in a shaky voice, "What chance is there of recovery?"

Dr. Tyler sighed tiredly. "Statistically, a patient with this type of injury has an 80 to 90 percent chance of recovery, and given how much of a fighter she is, there shouldn't be a problem. However, it will take months for the skin to heal and for her to regain full mobility."

"Can we see her?" asked Automan.

"Yes, but keep it to a few minutes only," Dr. Tyler advised. "Her family is here too, so you might have to wait your turn."

Before they were allowed to enter the ICU, they were both given green hospital-issue coats, covers for their shoes, masks, and gloves. They donned the items in silence, knowing that it was necessary in order to avoid spreading infections. As they prepared to enter the ward, they passed a man who was waiting just outside the doors with two young children. They both recognized Auto's tall stature at once.

"Mr. Magic Man!" Shannon ran over to hug him tearfully. "Daddy said that Auntie Lina is really sick. Can you help make her better?"

The child's plea touched him deeply. Laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, he said, "I will do the best I can." It was all he could say. He could not lie to her.

Two women dressed in hospital paraphernalia exited the ward. As they removed their masks, Auto saw that one of them was Allison, and assumed that the older woman was her and Lina's mother. "Mr. and Mrs. Stanley, Mrs. Baines," he addressed them all. "I am Federal Agent Mann. This is my colleague Lt. Nebicher." He indicated Walter. "I want to offer our assurance that we will do everything in our power to bring the person responsible to justice."

"Please do so," Mrs. Baines said with an edge to her voice, although her stance was proud. "We know that police work is dangerous, but one never really expects this sort of thing. When you catch him, I want to look him in the eye and tell him what a disgrace he is." She walked away, followed by Allison and her family. Both the children glanced back briefly as they left.

Wordlessly, Dr. Tyler indicated that they could go in.

Walter knew the inside of an ICU too well after his own brush with death many years ago, and he had privately hoped that he would never have to enter one again. But you didn't always get you wanted. The sterile, off-white walls and fluorescent lighting gave an eerie sheen to what he could see of Lina's body lying on the bed.

Although a hospital gown was draped loosely over her for modesty's sake, her legs were uncovered in order to facilitate access to the many bandages that swathed her burned skin. A flexible plastic tube protruded from her mouth, held in place by white ties around her ears, and extended to a ventilator that hissed rhythmically. An IV line dripped fluid into a vein in her left hand, and an infrared finger cuff was attached to the middle finger of her right hand to monitor her vitals which looked much lower than normal.

Walter knew he should say something, but the sight of his friend lying there in such a vulnerable state made the words stick in his throat. Now he knew what Roxanne must have felt upon seeing him in the hospital after he had been shot.

Automan too was disturbed. Humans were capable of many wondrous things, but their bodies were so very fragile. Being a hologram, he tended to take his own durability for granted, and rarely thought about how he would cope when those around him were no longer there. Now he was forced to contemplate the awful truth that he could have lost the woman that he loved.

Knowing exactly what needed to be said, he quietly nodded to Walter. "Allow me."

Walter nodded, still speechless.

Auto moved to the left side of the bed. "Hello Lina," he began as he held her hand, taking care to not disturb the IV line. "This is Automan. Walter is here too. You are a loyal and courageous friend. We promise that we will find the one responsible for this and make sure that he can never harm you again."

Then he paused; his next words were personal, but he didn't mind if Walter heard. "I am sorry that our last conversation was so unsatisfactory. I cannot quantify what you have done for me. You reactivated me, showed me how to love, and how to live. You called me back from destruction. Anything I do for you would pale in comparison, but I can do this: I shall stay with you for as long as you wish."

He sensed the minute difference before the monitors did: her vital signs were changing, becoming stronger! Carefully, so carefully, he squeezed her hand - in that instant more aware than ever of his great strength that enabled him to rip doors off their hinges, and the control that he had over it. The muscles in her hand twitched slightly.

Hope flared in his circuits. "Walter, I can sense that her condition is beginning to improve."

Walter's eyes widened in surprise, hardly daring to believe it. "Keep talking to her," he said, keeping his voice down despite his excitement. "I'll get Dr. Tyler." He left the alcove.

Taking advantage of the brief moment alone with her, Auto leaned close and paraphrased the words that she had once used to help him. "You are a wise, intelligent, vibrant woman who has people who care about you." As he said it he realized that no matter how long he existed, only she could ever truly complete him. "You are my soul."

Her hand moved again but she didn't wake. For Automan, however, it was enough to know that she was on the mend.

Dr. Tyler arrived promptly. "She has shown a marked improvement in only the last few minutes," he said with some astonishment as he noted the readouts. "It looks like you were what she needed." He indicated that they continue the conversation outside the ward so as to not disturb the other occupants. Reluctantly Auto let go of Lina's hand and followed him out to join Walter, who was waiting outside the doors.

As the two officers divested themselves of the hospital garb, Dr. Tyler cautioned them, "Even though she seems to be stabilizing, there's still a long way to go. And then, recovering from the burns will be difficult and painful. She's going to need a lot of support."

"She has it," averred Walter resolutely. "With her family plus mine and Agent Mann, she won't lack for anything."

"Thank you for allowing us to see her, Dr. Tyler," Auto said. "Now we have a very dangerous man to capture."

The physician nodded to them. "Good luck."


	11. Chapter 11

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 11

After leaving the hospital, Walter drove them to his police division. As soon as they had entered his office, Automan sat down at the computer and began to work.

"How do you propose we find one man in a city of 3.8 million people?" Walter inquired. "We don't even know if he's still around."

"We will find out soon," Auto assured him as he continued to type. "I have much more of an advantage now than I had thirteen years ago. Almost everything is computerized, so nobody can remain anonymous for long. Every electronic message, financial transaction, phone call, even keystroke is recorded somewhere. I'm co-ordinating all of my friends in the computer systems around the city. If Mr. Christensen so much as touches an electronic device, we'll be informed."

Walter was astonished at the ferocity that had crept into the hologram's voice, as if he was adopting the 'Mad Dog' persona again. While the change was understandable given the circumstances, he had to make sure that Auto focused on the job, not on their target. "Take it easy, Auto. If you go into this with negative intentions-"

Auto stood abruptly, towering over his creator. "How can I not? That man," he pointed forcefully at the computer screen, "tried to kill Lina. Wouldn't you act similarly if someone had hurt Roxanne or your sons?"

"Probably," Walter conceded; his family was more important to him than anything else. "But my point is that you _shouldn't_. If you chase after him in such an emotional state, you'll just end up lowering yourself to his level. Don't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he got to you."

Images of another such situation crossed Automan's memory: when he had interrogated the assassin who had shot Walter. He had been furious then too. However, that hardly compared with what he was feeling now. Perhaps being in love with someone caused all emotions surrounding that person to become more intense. "You're right," he said in a slightly choked-up voice, and regarded Walter apologetically. "It seems that I've become a little _too_ human."

"Nah," said Walter with a forgiving smile. "You just need to learn to control yourself a bit more, that's all. We can't let our feelings affect our jobs."

"Lina once told me something similar," Auto said as he sat down at the computer again. "A police officer should have an unassailable personality. Now I understand why she said that."

The computer suddenly began to make pinging sounds as multiple messages came through.

Walter walked behind the desk and peered at information flowing across the screen. "Is he on the move?"

"Yes. At 9:14 this morning, he withdrew five hundred dollars from a bank account at an ATM on Hill Street. He made a call on his cell phone at 9:30 to an unlisted number..." He paused and typed a query, and then continued, "...belonging to Steven Dunnington; I'll bring up his record. The call lasted two minutes and eleven seconds, and then the phone was switched off."

Papers emerged from the printer, and Walter picked them up. "Dunnington owns a pawn shop in Chinatown and has been suspected of selling stolen property, but there was no proof. Maybe Christensen had done some business with him in the past, and asked for his help."

"Agreed. Christensen isn't using his car, because the vehicle tracking system reports that it hasn't moved since last night. However Dunnington's car has moved east from Chinatown, and a few minutes ago it stopped at the corner of East 4th and South Soto-"

"That's only a few blocks away," Walter interrupted, glancing at the clock on the wall with an alarmed expression. "Could that mean he's coming here?"

"If so," Auto replied, "there are three possible scenarios: he's going to turn himself in, he's coming after us, or he knows that he's under surveillance and is attempting to lay a false trail. I've instructed the building's security system to sound an alert if it detects anyone that matches the description of Christensen, Dunnington, or any known accomplices. Dunnington's vehicle is currently headed south on Highway 710."

Walter sat down heavily in a chair, his face ashen, unable to speak for a moment. That was in the direction of home.

Automan had come to the same conclusion, and he leaned across the desk with concern evident in his azure eyes. "Where is our family?"

"Roxanne should be here by now. The boys are at school. But that's not what worries me. If he does torch the house, my computers might be damaged too, along with your master program. Lina's computer was destroyed in the fire at her place. The backup that's stored in my fireproof safe is several months old."

The hologram stood once more and moved toward the door. "Losing several months of my memory is a small risk to take for ensuring such a dangerous criminal is put in jail," he said. "Lina would understand. But I'm not willing to risk our home. Come, we must beat that car to its destination."

"But it's _day_," Walter protested. "Can Cursor render your vehicles for long enough?"

"Absolutely," was the confident response. "I've asked the Department of Water and Power computers to re-route all available power as required for us until Christensen has been apprehended."

* * *

><p>Neil was chuckling to himself as he drove Steve's rusty Subaru toward the residential area of Maywood. Having assumed that the police were going to track his own car, he had left a nice little trap for anyone who tried to tamper with it, and taken another.<p>

With Lina gone, the next person who might know Agent Mann well would be the mentor that she had told him about when they were dating. So he had dropped off Steve near the station where his target worked, to create some confusion that would give Neil enough time to achieve his main objective. Nebicher's house was most likely empty at this time of day, but it was good enough for there to be nothing left of the place when they returned.

When he pulled into a quiet street, there were three police cruisers blocking the way.

Cursing, he yanked the car into a U-turn. Were these cops psychic? How had they found him so quickly? He accelerated away down the block, only to see a familiar black Lamborghini come to a stop in the middle of the intersection in front of him.

"I am NOT playing that game with you, Agent Mann!" he snarled. He turned the wheel abruptly to the right and the car skidded sideways. As the tires regained traction he leaned on the gas pedal, at the same time lobbing one of his pre-prepared canisters out the window at Mann's car as he passed.

Seconds later, he was a safe distance halfway down the next block when he heard a satisfying explosion behind him. Even if Mann had been lucky enough to survive that, he certainly wouldn't be in any condition for a chase.


	12. Chapter 12

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance

By Sailor Chronos  
>Chapter 12<p>

A shaken Walter was panting as he stared out the unblemished windshield of the Autocar, immeasurably glad that he was all right after front of the car had erupted in flames. As it had many times before, the car's energy field had protected him. "He's crazy!" he cried. "If he's willing to do stunts like that, who knows how many people could get hurt if we chase him!"

"Then we need to tailor his route toward a less populated district," Automan said quickly. He set the car in motion and turned down a side street. "Cursor!" At his command, the Autocar transformed into the Autochopper and lifted off from the pavement.

Walter struggled back into an upright position after being pressed into his seat by the force of the climb. "We'll need some help for that," he said, having an inkling of what his friend had in mind.

Auto activated the radio transmitter. "Calling all available units, this is Federal Agent Mann in aerial pursuit of a grey Subaru Legacy, license number 083LES, heading east on Gage Avenue. Suspect is armed with IEDs and is extremely dangerous; do not engage. Please set up roadblocks at the following locations." He named a series of intersections and on-ramps, and waited for replies from the cruisers. "That should force him to head into the Bandini industrial area," he informed his partner.

"I see a potential flaw in this plan," Walter pointed out. "He likely has more of those incendiaries. What if he decides to run a roadblock and uses them? Police cars aren't indestructible."

"I've given them fair warning, which is the best I could do. If Christensen doesn't follow the set route, we'll redeploy until he makes a mistake or runs out of fuel."

"Fine, but how long do you think he'll keep running?"

"A human's patience when placed under such stress is relatively short. He'll get tired long before my power fails." Auto looked down at the roads that were passing underneath them, searching for the grey car, since he couldn't sense its microchip from this high in the air. He had regained most of his prior confidence; the events of the past few hours had focused him like never before, and he was using all of his resources to their fullest. Switching to a phone tap, he said, "Taffy, this is Automan. Kindly change all east-west lights to red on South Eastern and Garfield between Gage and Bandini for the next ten minutes." Although that was bound to frustrate some motorists, it would also ensure that no cross-traffic got in Christensen's way.

"My pleasure, Automan," a sultry female voice replied.

Walter rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Let me guess, that was the traffic light computer?" Auto smiled at him, but not as jovially as he normally would have. His mood was understandable.

The radio crackled. "Calling Agent Mann, this is Lt. Baker. You really know how to mix it up, don't you? Is Lt. Nebicher with you?"

Grinning at Baker's dry tone, Walter picked up the radio. "Yes, Lieutenant. We believe that the driver we're after is responsible for severely injuring Lina Baines."

"Yes, I heard. I'm in on this one." His voice took on a vehemence that was clearly audible. "I'm going to help organize things on the ground for you. You two just make sure you catch that bastard. Baker out."

Another voice came across the open channel. "This is Unit 1930 stationed on Peachtree at South Eastern; suspect in grey Subaru has passed me, headed north."

"We've got him, Auto," Walter said with certainty.

Unfortunately the feeling was short-lived, as a new report was broadcast a few moments later. "Unit 8241, suspect has run the blockade at East Slauson; two cruisers damaged by a grenade-like device, no injuries."

"This has gone on long enough," insisted Walter angrily. "We can't let him endanger any more people."

"I concur. Merge with me, Walter. We are stopping him now." As soon as Walter had moved over and settled into his form, Automan powered the chopper into a high-speed dive.

* * *

><p>Neil sped along Slauson Avenue, bewildered at how the cops had managed to be almost everywhere at once. Finally he had become fed up and blasted through one of their roadblocks, but now he was nowhere near the fall-back location he had planned to reach. He had to find a way out of this mess; once he hit Highway 5 he would have a better chance to disappear.<p>

He was so busy driving and checking for more police vehicles that he didn't hear or see the black helicopter until it was hovering directly in front of him. Panicking, he slammed on the brakes and the car swerved violently before sliding to a halt a few yards from where the chopper had landed on the road. Flashing blue and red lights behind him showed that several police cruisers were rapidly closing in. In desperation he grabbed his remaining canister and a pistol from the seat beside him and scrambled out of the car.

Agent Mann was standing in the street, packing what appeared to be a .357 Magnum revolver with a blue stripe along the top of the barrel. "Mr. Neil Christensen, you are under arrest!" he shouted in a commanding voice, audible even above the gradually slowing thrum of the chopper blades.

Completely flustered at seeing someone who should by all rights be dead, Neil was no longer thinking clearly. He made a huge gamble. "I don't know how you survived," he called, "but if I'm going down, at least I'll know that I took you out!" He activated the canister that he held and flung it unerringly at the source of his grief, and then took cover behind the car.

Automan leaped to one side just before the device exploded, rolling back to a crouch more than ten feet from his previous position. The blast sprayed metal shards throughout the area, peppering the car with dents, shattering its windows and leaving a dark sunburst pattern on the asphalt. Auto knew he could have stayed put and easily withstood the damage, but that would have prompted too many questions from the nearby police officers, and it would have been a strain on his quickly waning power reserves. It wasn't often that he engaged in such intense activity during daylight hours.

While the remaining fragments and dust settled, he pursued Christensen who had clambered to his feet and was attempting to flee. Other officers joined in, but broke off when the fugitive started to shoot wildly in their direction. However Auto had no fear of bullets, which merely passed through his form. He chased Christensen down, struck the gun out of his hand and restrained him in an Aikido hold that Lina had taught him.

For a brief moment, unbridled rage coursed through his system. This man had almost ruined or ended several people's lives, including Lina's. However it was not up to him to decide his fate: he was programmed to enforce the law and to protect people, not to harm. _Don't lower yourself to his level,_ Walter had advised him. Auto reminded himself of a Chinese proverb that stated: _Laws control the lesser man. Right conduct controls the greater one._

He straightened up and repeated, with forced composure, "You are under arrest."

Christensen slumped as the fight left him, and when Auto released him, he allowed himself to be handcuffed and led away by two officers.

When he noted that nobody was directly observing him, Auto altered his molecular density to let Walter de-merge. "I need to leave soon," he reported. "The power grid is beginning to strain; if I stay much longer it might cause an overload."

"I understand," said Walter, smiling wearily. He was glad that he'd had the foresight to remain merged until the danger had passed, but now the adrenalin rush from the chase was wearing off. "Thank you, Auto. For a minute there I was worried that you might do something you'd regret."

"I regret that I had even considered it," Automan admitted.

"But you didn't act on it," his creator reminded him firmly. "That's one of the things that sets you apart: that you have that control, that you can do the right thing. It isn't just programming, it's making the right choice despite your own feelings. I'm proud of you, and I think Lina would be too if she were here."

Reassured, he nodded. "Thank you, Walter. I must go."

"I'll call you tonight, and we'll visit the hospital again."

"Then I'll look forward to it." He stood with his arms at his sides, and faded away. The idling Autochopper nearby became translucent and de-rezzed.

Turning on his heel, Walter strode toward the group of police cruisers that was starting to disperse. He would need a ride back to his division.


	13. Chapter 13

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 13

Lina slowly roused to the sounds of electronic equipment and a feeling of being choked. Hazy images of smoke and flame flitted through her mind, plus a dreamlike echo of Automan's voice. She was lying on her left side; her legs and lower back itched and tingled.

An unfamiliar sight met her eyes when she opened them, and she had a brief moment of panic before her still-fuzzy brain registered that she was in a hospital room. The choking sensation was caused by her throat being extremely dry as a result of air being forced into her system by a ventilator tube. She slowly moved both her arms in turn, testing her strength, and then loosed the ties around her ears before pulling the tube out of her mouth.

A nurse passing in the corridor noticed her movement and bustled in. "Hello Carolina, it's good that you're awake. Let me get that for you." She carefully coiled up the hoses and wires, and switched the ventilator off.

Unsure that her voice would work, Lina mimed raising a glass to her lips. Her mouth tasted vile.

The grey-haired nurse, whose name tag read Nancy, understood right away. "Yes, I'm sure you're thirsty; I'll bring some water." She left the room, and returned a few moments later with a cup and a straw in one hand and a portable diagnostic machine in the other. As Lina carefully drank her water, Nancy moved around her to check her vitals and the fluid level in an IV, and made a note on a chart hanging on the wall next to the bed. "You're doing much better now. It's late, but I'll have your doctor paged. He'll want to know that you're conscious."

Gingerly, Lina tried to shift herself but couldn't; she felt extremely lethargic and her body would not obey. "Itchy," she managed to croak out.

"Don't try to move yet, dear," Nancy said kindly. "You're on some heavy painkillers, so you can't feel much. If you want to lie on your other side, I can arrange to have you turned in a little while. It's almost time to change you anyway."

Change? It was at that moment when she finally realized that her lower body was almost completely covered in gauze bandages. Memory came rushing back: an argument, the stairs, breaking glass, and an explosion. Horrified, she began to shiver and squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry.

Nancy held her hand, offering solace. "It's a normal reaction. Don't worry, you're safe here." She turned her head at the sound of the door opening. "Hello, visiting hours are almost over, but she just woke up a few minutes ago so I'll let you see her."

She didn't want to see anyone, not in this state. When she forced herself to open her eyes she changed her mind: the two men who walked into her field of vision brought a profound sense of security to her troubled heart. But only one of them was the person she needed to see. "Auto," she whispered.

"Hello Lina." Nancy moved aside and Auto took her place, taking Lina's hands in his own. "I'm here." The look on his face plainly showed his love and concern.

Tears spilled from her eyes then, and Automan stood next to her, being a silent pillar of support. Behind him, Walter was exchanging a few quiet words with the nurse, but in the midst of her emotional storm she didn't hear much. She didn't care right now; what mattered was that Auto was with her. When the tears ebbed and her body relaxed, he helped her wipe her face with a tissue.

Coherent at last, she cleared her throat and asked, "What happened?"

Walter stepped closer as Nancy left the room. "Last night, Neil Christensen threw a home-made bomb into your house. The two main rooms on the first floor were almost gutted."

She gasped in shock at the fact that she had been unconscious for almost 24 hours. Any damage to her home was repairable, but she couldn't help feeling that she had brought it on herself. "Oh, my God... It's my fault. I let him go instead of chasing him."

"Don't blame yourself," Walter said gently. "Because you knew him before he turned to crime, you might have thought he wouldn't be capable of something like that. Anyway, Auto and I tracked him down this morning; he gave us a wild chase but we caught him. He won't be getting out of jail for a long time."

"What about the Rothsays?"

"They're fine; Lt. Baker notified them. So it's all right." Walter decided to not tell her about the incident at his division, since she had enough on her plate already. While he and Auto had been off chasing Christensen, his accomplice Steven Dunnington had attempted to plant improvised explosives on the outer wall of the station. Thanks to Auto's warning to the security system, the man was caught before he could set them off.

Lina nodded with relief. "I'm glad to hear it." Then she squirmed in an attempt to ease the pressure on her left shoulder after having lain on it for some time. However her drugged body refused to move the way she wanted it to, and what little energy she had was sapped by the attempt, so she put her head back on the pillow. "I imagine the next while is not going to be pleasant."

"Unfortunately not," said Dr. Tyler, who had just entered the room along with Nancy and another nurse. "Good evening, Agent Mann, Lt. Nebicher. Miss Baines, your being awake and lucid is excellent news." He checked the monitor and made some more notes on the chart. "You need to understand that you've had a major shock to your body, and it will take a lot of careful treatment for you to heal well. The length of time it'll take all depends on how your skin responds."

"Thank you, Dr. Tyler," Lina said as she tried to shift her position again without success; her left arm was now unresponsive after having been pinned underneath her for too long. "Can something be done about this constant itching? It's driving me nuts."

"For now, no," said Nancy, sounding a bit apologetic. She turned a valve on the IV to temporarily stop the fluid, and disconnected the tube at a junction. Then she removed the finger cuff from Lina's right hand, and carefully wheeled the IV pole and the monitor to the other side of the bed. "It feels like you're itching because of the medication. Without it you'd be in agony from the burns. We can't give you too much or you'd be unable to communicate. As you heal, we'll slowly decrease the dosage." After repositioning the equipment she reconnected the tubes and wires to the appropriate places. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask the gentlemen to leave now. We're going to turn her over and change the bandages."

"Okay," Walter said. "Thanks for letting us see her. I think she needed it too."

Automan leaned down and gently kissed Lina's right hand. Her colour definitely had improved since that morning, and he could see the spirit slowly returning to her eyes. It was encouraging. "I will visit when I can."

She smiled at him, already feeling better. Nothing more needed to be said, because she knew that he kept his promises.

* * *

><p>Out in the corridor, Dr. Tyler addressed Walter and Auto. "I told this to her family earlier, and I want you to be aware as well. This is the beginning of a long and arduous process. The type of burns that Miss Baines has can heal with little permanent damage; she was lucky that she only needed one graft on her left leg. However it will be very painful for her and the burns can easily become infected if not taken care of meticulously. When we deem her ready to leave, we'll make a step-by-step program and diet for her to follow."<p>

"Why would she need a special diet?" asked Auto. He had accessed information about burn injuries on the Internet but nowhere had diet been mentioned.

"The skin is the body's largest organ, and burns require a great deal of bodily resources for healing, especially fluids," Dr. Tyler explained. "Good nutrition is very important, or she might lose weight and not have the energy to keep up the therapy. I also recommend psychological support if she shows any self-image concerns or signs of depression, which is common in large burn cases."

"Thank you, Dr. Tyler," Walter said whole-heartedly. "You've been a great help." After his own hospital experience, and now this, he was forever appreciative for the work that the doctors and the staff did.

With a wry smile, Dr. Tyler responded, "The biggest reward any doctor can have is for a patient to not repeat the risky behaviour that landed them in the hospital in the first place. But I understand that being a police officer is dangerous in itself, and we all would be a lot less safe if not for those who are willing to bear that."


	14. Chapter 14

Automan and all character names therein are owned by the American Broadcasting Company and Twentieth Century Fox. All characters are fictional and resemblance to any persons living or dead is coincidental. No copyright infringement is intended.

Automan: High Performance  
>By Sailor Chronos<p>

Chapter 14

Lina remained in the hospital for almost three weeks. The doctors wanted to be certain that the lesions on her skin were healing cleanly before discharging her. As promised, Dr. Tyler gave her a list of explicit instructions for what needed to be done to facilitate her recovery.

Both the Stanley and Nebicher families came together to help out. Allison and her husband Doug dealt with the salvage and reconstruction of Lina's townhouse. Walter and Roxanne rearranged their home so that she could stay with them during her convalescence: the dining room on the main floor became a bedroom for her so that she wouldn't have to negotiate any stairs. Anna Baines provided her daughter's favourite foods on a regular basis.

Automan assisted as frequently as the power grid would allow: ensuring that she got the proper vitamins and medication, dressing her wounds, and helping with the gruelling physiotherapy. He witnessed her every mood from agonized tears to frustrated curses, and bore it all with a steadfast devotion that impressed everyone, including Lina herself.

Even Lt. Baker visited several times to see her progress and cheer her on. He deliberately didn't mention anything about work to her, knowing that she had to focus her energies on getting back on her feet. "Her desk will still be there," he told Walter when his colleague asked about her professional status. "And I've taken care of her report backlog. She won't have anything to worry about."

The day that she was able to gingerly walk around the house by herself (with the aid of crutches) was a huge victory. Walter's boys Jack and Matt suggested that they have a party to celebrate, but Lina took the opportunity to tell him and Roxanne in private that she wasn't the only one deserving of the honour.

"The one who really should have a party is Auto," she said. "He has been such a tremendous help this whole time. Plus he told me that he has never had his birthday celebrated - and what's the date next Tuesday?"

Walter stared at her and Roxanne for a moment, looking quite abashed. "The fifteenth... oh, man."

"That's right," Lina said. "Judging from appearance, if he were human he'd be in his mid-thirties. But strictly speaking it's his twentieth birthday. Let's surprise him."

So it was arranged; Mrs. Baines and the Stanleys were all invited and they were happy to attend. Since Lina didn't feel comfortable with telling her family about Automan's true nature, particularly after the incident with Sholes, Walter came up with the excuse of needing Auto's help with a case to get him out of the house until they arrived.

Ironically, the contrived pursuit ended up becoming a real one and it took a bit longer to get back than had been anticipated. When Walter and Auto finally returned, the house was dark except for the main entryway.

"Shouldn't everyone be here?" asked Auto cautiously as they stepped inside.

"They should be," Walter replied with a mischievous grin as he preceded Auto into the sitting room. Then he clapped his hands.

The lights abruptly switched on. "_Surprise!_" voices called.

Automan halted in amazement. The sitting room and adjoining dining room had been restored to their former appearance, and coloured streamers hung from the ceiling. Both his family and Lina's stood around the table, in the center of which was prominently displayed a vanilla cake with the number 20 inscribed on it in electric blue icing. Lina, who was leaning against one wall with her crutches tucked under her free arm, led them all in singing the Happy Birthday song.

For a moment he was speechless. He had expected a party for Lina, not for himself, and was touched that his human friends had gone to the trouble of doing this. Never had he felt so appreciated. "Thank you all; really, this wasn't necessary."

"Don't be so modest," Allison said with a dismissive wave. "You deserve it. Now come and cut your cake for us."

In an aside to Walter he said, "You know I don't-"

"Auto," his creator interrupted with an astute smile. "They've been told that you don't eat sweets. Just play along."

"Mr. Magic Man!" called Shannon. "What's the 20 mean?"

"It's a private joke, honey," Lina responded before Auto could. "You'll understand when you get older."

"Aw!" the girl complained, to the amusement of the adults.

Auto picked up the cake knife, carefully sliced the confection into ten equal pieces, and then served them. "I must say that looks excellent. Who made it?"

Roxanne lifted her free hand. "Guilty; but it was Lina's idea. She wanted to make today special for you as well as for her."

He crossed the room to his girlfriend's side and regarded her with deep affection. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_," she said softly as she gazed into his oh-so-perfect blue eyes. His dedication to her over the past weeks had made her love him all the more. "And I have a present for you." Putting the crutches aside she retrieved a flat rectangular parcel from a chair that had been concealed behind her legs. It was meticulously gift-wrapped in metallic blue with a silver bow.

With an amused chuckle at the reference, he protested, "I can't open that, it's too perfect."

The room erupted in laughter and a chorus of "Go on! Open it!"

After raising his hands in a gesture of defeat, he carefully removed the wrapping. The item was a simple frame, but he instantly recognized the photograph it contained: a still that had been captured on Lina's laptop computer when the two of them were at her cabin during the winter. He wore grey pants and a dark blue-and-black-striped sweater; she was wearing black jeans with a red sweater. They were standing in each other's arms in front of the fireplace, looking relaxed and happy.

Quite moved, he wordlessly placed the photo on the table so that the others could see it. And then, mindful of her precarious balance, he took Lina gently in his arms and kissed her.

In response she snaked her arms around him, more for closeness rather than support, ignoring the boys' whoops and the smattering of applause from the adults. When they broke the kiss she leaned against him and murmured, "Happy birthday, love."

Walter tapped on the edge of a glass with his fork to gain everyone's attention. "Folks, we are gathered here to commemorate the birthday of our good friend and colleague, Otto Mann." Lina and Auto briefly glanced sideways at each other; they'd both noticed his careful pronunciation. "Also we're celebrating Lina's continued recovery, and I've been informed that the work on her house is almost complete."

"That's right," Lina's brother-in-law said. "You can move back any time. The final touches can be done just as easily whether you're there or not."

"But we don't want to hear any complaints about the decor," Allison threatened, but then grinned to indicate that she was joking.

Walter offered, "And I'll build you a new computer system. You'll be up and running, so to speak, in no time."

Her eyes misted as she gratefully beheld all the people who had helped shape her life. This was the way a family should be. And when she was better, she would continue to work to ensure that they and others were protected from people who would harm them. "Thanks, everyone."

* * *

><p>Cheers and whistles greeted Lina when she walked into her division HQ under her own power. It had now been two months since the incident and the skin on her legs was still healing, but she was well enough to do clerical work. Returning to active duty in the field would take longer, but at this point she was in no rush.<p>

Lt. Baker met her at her desk. "Welcome back, Officer Baines," he said with a broad smile.

"I like the sound of that, sir," she said proudly. "It's good to be back."

He cleared his throat and held up a paper that bore the seal of the Chief of Police. "I would like to present to you an official commendation for your actions in recent events, plus a Wounded in Service citation, and my congratulations." Applause broke out across the floor as he passed her the award and shook her hand.

She felt quite welcome and contented. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

When the nattering had died down and most of the people had turned back to their tasks, Baker asked, "How long do you think it'll take for you to get back out there?"

"It'll be at least a few more weeks, according to my doctors. They've been very pleased with my progress but my skin is still delicate. To be honest with you, I'm glad for the respite."

He accepted that with a nod, and rapped his knuckles on the desk. "Then get yourself a pen and start writing, Baines. Reports don't write themselves," he said in his normal gruff manner, but there was softness in his face that allayed the sting.

"In just a few minutes; I need to keep a promise."

She walked to Agent Mann's office and let herself in with a key-card. Then she took a measuring tape out of her pocket and used it to help make some markings on one wall with a pencil, after which she affixed two picture hangers. Out of the bag she carried she pulled two frames, hung them up, and stepped back to view her handiwork.

The photo of Auto with Walter, Roxanne, and the boys was now flanked by a commendation that Agent Mann had been awarded in 1983 but had never picked up, and the photo of the two of them at the cabin. The last time she had spoken to him she had persuaded him to let her put them up with the reasoning that most humans in his position would be proud to display their achievements. It was part of showing the kind of person that he was.

So now their relationship would be 'official'. People could make what they wanted of it, even Sholes, and right now she didn't care. What mattered was that she and Automan were happy.

THE END

Sailor Chronos  
>February 2011<p>

I would like to thank the following people:

My husband, as always, for his support.

"Kyou Fangirl" and "SunflashNurse", my beta-readers, for helping with the editing and clarifying some details.

Automan himself: Chuck Wagner, for bringing such a versatile character to life, and his encouragement to dream well.


End file.
